Safety razor blade knife



pl my 193% P. J. MccULLouGn-a ET Ag ZMZSM SAFETY RAZOR BLADE KNIFE Filed July 18, 1955 Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE SAFETY RAZOR BLADE KNIFE Paul J. McCullough and Alexander H. Sullivan, St. Louis, Mo.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety razor blade knives.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a knife which securely and detachably holds a safety razor blade in position and which is of neat appearance and compact in size.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a holder which is so constructed as to receive and hold only one longitudinal half of a double-edge safety razor blade, thereby requiring the blade to be cut longitudinally in two pieces and preventing it from being used in a safety razor.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a safety razor blade knife or holder which can be economically manufactured and therefore can be sold at a low price and which is light in weight and which, when folded, or closed, occupies very little space.

With these and other objects in View, our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a full sized View of the knife when folded.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the knife in open position.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross section through the same.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical cross section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 6 6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a full-sized view of a double-edge safety razor blade.

Figure 8 is a similar View of a blade as used in our knife.

The. present invention contemplates the use of a safety razor blade of a widely known and distributed make. These blades are double-edge and are formed of very thin steel which can be easily cut by a suitable instrument, such as a scissors.

To use the blade in our improved knife, it has to be cut longitudinally into two halves, as the holder of the knife is so constructed that only one-half of the blade can be inserted in position.

The knife consists of two sections, handle IIJ and a holder I I. The two sections are pivotally connected together as at I2 so that the holder can be folded into the handle I0, as hereinafter more fully described.

'I'he handle III is substantially channel-shape in cross section, having spaced side Walls I4 connected together by a back portion I5. The piv- -5 otal end of the handle terminates in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears I6 and seated therein and extending therethrough is a rivet I'I which forms pivot I2.

The back portion I5 terminates substantially in a vertical plane with the aXis of rivet Il, thereby forming a stop or shoulder I8.

The opposite end I9 of the handle Ill is considerably wider than the pivotal end and the end wall is formed concentric with the axis of pivot I2.

The holder I I is also substantially U-shaped in cross section, having spaced side walls ZI united together by a back portion 22. One end of the holder is formed with a pair of spaced semi-circular e-ars 24 which t between ears I6 and are engaged by rivets I'I. The back portion 22 terminates in a vertical plane with the axis of said rivet, thereby forming a stop or shoulder 25 which when the holder is open rests against shoulder I8 and limits the outward movement of holder. I I.

The height of said walls 2| is considerably less than the diameter of ears 24, in the instant case, being about one-half thereof. Thus a step or shoulder 26 is formed on each side wall adjacent to pivot I2 which when the holder is folded into the handle engages the back portion I5 thereof and holds the edge 2'I of blade 28 in spaced relation with said portion (see Fig. 5). In this manner the edge of the blade does not come in contact with said back portion I5 and consequently the keenness of the edge is not impaired.

The opposite or outer end of the holder is closed by an end wall 29. Formed adjacent to this end is a transversely disposed portion which extends between the upper edges of said Walls 2I. Each blade 28 is provided at its ends with shoulders or extensions 28a and 28h. When the blade 28 is in position in the` holder, the forward shoulder or extension 28a thereof rests under the transverse portion 30 so that this end is held against upward movement.

The side walls 2| are formed near the pivotal connection I2 with inward opposed protuberances 3| which when blade 28 is in position close the space immediately above the shoulder or extension 28h thereof. Thus this end of the blade is held against accidental displacement and as said side walls 2l, and particularly those portions thereof in which the protuberances 3| are formed, are resilient, the blade can be inserted into and removed from position in the holder by forcing said extension 28h past said opposed protuberances.

The blade 28 is formed from a double-edge safety razor blade, such as shown in Figure 7. This safety razor blade is cut longitudinally in two halves, as indicated by line A-A, and only one of the halves is used in the knife. Any suitable means may be used for cutting the blade but an ordinary scissors are satisfactory for this purpose. Thus by using only one-half of the blade the dimensions of the knife are reduced as it occupies very little space but also doubles the life of the blade when used as a knife blade. Further-V more, the used safety razor blades of this type are rendered unt for use in connection with a safety razor.

The upper edges of side members I4 near the wide end I9 are cut out or notched, as indicated at 32, so as to provide a, suitable finger-hold for member Il when the latter is folded in position. When in this position the exposed portion of member Il can be readily gripped between the fingers to move the blade carrying holder into extended position.

Preferably the exposed portion is stamped or pressed to form a longitudinally disposed shoulder 33 for engagement with the thumb nail.

The handle and the holder can be finished in any suitable manner and if desired provided with suitable ornamentation so as to furnish a pleasing appearance.

When the holder is folded, the blade is completely enclosed and there is sufficient friction between the side walls of the holder and the handle so that the holder cannot become accidentally displaced or moved outwardly so as to expose the cutting edge of the blade.

The present application is a substitution of a forfeited-abandoned application filed by us December 29, 1932, Serial No. 649,268 and allowed December 7, 1933.

We claim:

1. In a safety razor blade knife, the combination of a handle channel-shaped in cross section and closed at one end, the other end terminating in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears, a holder having an inner end formed with semi-circular ears pivotally connected to the ears of said handle, wherebysaid holdercan be folded into said handle, said holder being channel-shaped in cross section, a longitudinal half of a double-edge safety razor blade arranged in said holder, the safety razor blade being formed at each end withalongitudinal extension reduced in width, whereby each half portion of said blade is formed at each end with a shouldered extension, a transverse portion formed adjacent to the outer end of said holder and extending between the side members thereof for engaging andretaim'ng the corresponding shouldered end of said half blade, and inwardly disposed protuberances formed on the sides of the inner end of said holder for detachably engaging and retaining in position the inner shouldered end of said half blade, the width of the side walls of the holder adjacent to its pivotal end being greater than the distance from the back portion of the holder to the cutting edge of said blade whereby when said holder is folded in said handle the cutting edge of said blade is held in spaced relation with the back portion of said handle.

2. In a safety razor blade knife of the class described, the combination of a handle channelshaped in cross section and having one end terminating in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears, a blade holder channel-shaped in cross section and having one end terminating in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears pivotally connected to the ears of said handle, whereby said holder can be folded thereinto, a blade arranged in said holder and having each end formed with a longitudinal shoulder extension, a transverse portion formed integral with said holder and bridging the space between the edges thereof adjacent to the outer end of said holder, for engaging one extension of said blade, and inwardly presented opposed protuberances formed on the sides of said blade holder adjacent to the pivotal mounting thereof for yieldably permitting the inner extension of said blade to be pressed inwardly past said protuberances whereby said blade is held against accidental disengagement from said holder.

3. In a. safety razor blade knife of the class described, the combination of a handle channelshaped in cross section and having one vend terminating in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears, a blade holder channel-shaped in cross section and having one end terminating in a pair of spaced semi-circular ears pivotally connected to the ears of sai-d handle whereby said holder can be folded thereinto, a longitudinal half portion of a safety razor blade arranged in said holder and having each end formed with a' longitudinal shoulder extension, a transverse portion formed integral with said blade holder and extending between the edges of said holder' adjacent to the outer end thereof for engaging the outer shoulder extension of said' blade portion, and inwardly presented opposed protuberances formed integral with and on the sides of said holder adjacent to the pivotal mounting thereof for yieldably permitting the inner extension of said blade portion to move inwardly past said protuberances, whereby said blade portion is held against accidental disengagement from said holder, the end walls of said handle and of said holder being adapted to engage each other and limit the outward movement of said holder when the latter occupies extended position.

PAUL J. McCULLOUGI-I. ALEXANDER H. SULLIVAN. 

